Bordeaux 2009 – The right bank (Pomerol)

A magnificent range of wines picked before the rains in mid September. Crisp, vivid flavours combined with power and intensity. L’Evangile and Blason de L’Evangile were magnificent; silky smooth with power to boot. Then to Le Pin; it’s a hard life... Jacques Thienpont welcomed us to his temporary new cellar with his usual good cheer; the wine was at its ethereal best. From the Richebourg of Pomerol we travelled (some of us in a rather roundabout way) to the La Tache of Pomerol; Chateau Lafleur. The Cabernet Franc here is exceptional; the Grand vin is exquisitely fine, a wine of great class.

Next we tasted at the offices of J P Moueix. The charming Edouard Moueix kindly gave us an enlightening video blog, which will be posted later. Belair Monange is exceptional, Fleur Petrus, Hosanna and Trotannoy are all lovely, but it was La Providence that impressed most from the selection of Pomerol – a massively dense, complex wine with outstanding ageing potential.You might be thinking that Pomerol is consistently brilliant, well it is at the top level, however the Pomerol UGC was a bit of a mixed bag. Conseillante was spectacular, Gazin was big and impressive, Clinet was even bigger and more impressive, but won’t be for everyone... La Cabanne and La Pointe demonstrated that there are some tough, rustic offerings from the commune, so it hasn’t been completely plain sailing.We finished Pomerol with a trip to Alexandre Thienpont’s Vieux Chateau Certan. This is always a highlight of any Bordeaux trip. A stunning wine with an unusually high percentage of Merlot (84%); Alexandre believes that 2009 is a reference year for this varietal.